An Iraqi man
looks at the bodies of civilians /allegedly/ killed in a U.S. air raid on a wedding party, in a cemetery in
Ramadi, on Wednesday.

NBC News and news services

Updated: 7:47 a.m. ET May 20, 2004

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraqi
officials said a U.S. helicopter fired on a wedding party Wednesday morning in western Iraq, killing more than 40 people,
including children. U.S. officials confirmed an airstrike near the Syrian border, but they told NBC News that the incident
involved an AC-130 warship not a helicopter and that the aircraft returned fire after coming under attack from militants.